Name: Matthew Richardson
   Born: 8 Sep 1757
  Place: Kent Co., MD
   Died: 1 Jan 1838
  Place: Collinsville, Butler Co., OH
 Buried: 
  Place: Richardson-Simpson Cemetery, nr Trenton
Married: 1780

Matthew Richardson and Ann Stockton married sometime in 1780, probably Kent County, Maryland. They had the following children.

I find two additional Richardson marriages in Butler county:

• Isabel Richardson to John Fisher, 6 Jul 1807, by R Ogle, JP
• John Richardson to Polly Bridget, 13 Aug 1812, by Rev Stephen Gard

Matthew Richardson himself performed several marriages, 1811-1818 and 1820, as Justice of the Peace.

Maryland Origins

There can be little doubt that Matthew Richardson was from a well-connected Maryland family. He was literate and later in life a leader in his community and in his state, being elected two terms to the Ohio state legislature. He married into the very prominent Stockton family. His father-in-law, Richard Witham Stockton, was a Major in the Loyalist Army and Richard's first cousin, another Richard Stockton, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. His cousin, William Riley, who we know from Matthew's 1838 letter (below), also married into the Stocktons and was a Captain in the Continental Army.

Although Matthew's parents are unknown, it is known that cousin Riley's parents were Nicholas Riley and Sarah Smith,¹ making Matthew's mother either a Riley or a Smith. In other words, Nicholas Riley was Matthew's maternal uncle either by blood or by marriage.

Nicholas Riley may have been the Nicholas Jr mentioned in the 1745 Kent county MD inventory of the estate of an elder Nicholas,² which listed as one of the witnesses Nicholas Smith, perhaps the same man who served in the Maryland provincial legislature in 1750.³ In 1756, a year before Matthew's birth, Douglass Richardson's estate was appraised with next of kin listed as Matt Richardson and Lydia Johnson. Administrators were Matthew Richardson and John Grant.⁴ Of special interest is the 1768 inventory of a Mr William Smith listing next of kin as Nicholas Smith and Nicholas Riley (ibid. 1766-1769, page 77). And an inventory of the estate of the younger Nicholas Riley was made in 1773 (ibid. 1772-1774, p 24) naming William Riley as executor.

On 10 May 1736, a Nicholas Riley was assessed for 561 acres of a tract of land called Ryley's Land Resurveyed.⁵ On the tax assessment of 1783, nearly 50 years later, we find Mathew Richardson and Mathew Richardson Sr each with 100 acres from the same tract. The following list was copied from Maryland State Archives, Index to the Assessment of 1786, Keny County.

• Mathew Richardson. Rileys Resurvey, 100 acres. KE 5th District, p. 19. MSA S 1161-7-5 1/4/5/50
• Mathew Richardson. Adventure, 300 acres. KE 5th District, p. 19. MSA S 1161-7-5 1/4/5/50
• Mathew Richardson, Jr. KE 5th District, p. 10. MSA S 1161-7-5 1/4/5/50
• Mathew Richardson, Sr. Ryleys Resurveyed, 100 acres. KE 5th District, p. 10. MSA S 1161-7-5 1/4/5/50
• Mathew Richardson, Sr. Adventure, 300 acres. KE 5th District, p. 10. MSA S 1161-7-5 1/4/5/50
• William Richardson. Adventure, 60 acres. KE 5th District, p. 9. MSA S 1161-7-5 1/4/5/50
• William Richardson. Adventure, 60 acres. KE 5th District, p. 19. MSA S 1161-7-5 1/4/5/50
• Benjamin Riley. Notes: lives in Georgetown. KE 5th District, p. 9. MSA S 1161-7-5 1/4/5/50
• Rachel Riley. KE 5th District, p. 9. MSA S 1161-7-5 1/4/5/50
• John Wilson, Sr. Reliys Resurveyed, 200 acres. Notes: tract name questionable. KE 5th District, p. 12. MSA S 1161-7-5 1/4/5/50
• John Wilson, Sr. Rileys Resurvey, 518 acres. KE 5th District, p. 20. MSA S 1161-7-5 1/4/5/50

These marriages are found for Kent County, arranged by date:

• William Richardson and Ellener Hall, 19 Apr 1724
• Joseph Riley and Sarah Cornelius, 10 Jun 1744
• Nicholas Riley and Sarah Smith, 2 Dec 1747
• Nicholas Smith and Ann Marr, 14 Apr 1749
• Benjamin Riley and Hannah Smith, 8 Jan 1754

Sarah Smith and Hannah Smith, both married to Rileys, are believed to have been sisters and possible daughters of Nicholas Smith.

Matthew served as a private for the Continental Army. He is found, along with Benedict, John and Jacob Richardson, on a 1776 list of Capt William Henry's company out of Kent county, Maryland.⁶ There's also a listing for Matthew Richardson Jr for the 13th Battalion, also of Kent County, 1775.⁷ The earliest post-war mention I find of him is on the 1790 census,¹²⁵ listed as Matthew Richardson Jr, page 82. There is one other Richardson, another Matthew, enumerated for Kent county, pg 83.

Nicholas Riley Sr died in Kent county in May 1745. His will names children Nicholas, Benjamin, Rebecca, Sara, Elizabeth and Hezekiah. Interestingly, Matthew Richardson named three of his five daughters Elizabeth, Sarah and Rebecca. Witnesses to Riley's will were Nicholas Smith, Ben Palmer and John Riley.

The simple conclusion is that the senior Matthew Richardson received Riley land through his wife. If that was true, then we might have this as an ahnentafel for our Matthew:

102. Matthew Richardson (1757-1838)
204. Matthew Richardson Sr (-1790+)
205. unknown Riley
410. Nicholas Riley Sr (c1680-1745)
820. John Riley (-1700)

Or we can look at it this way:

        The following is highly speculative

                     John Riley
                (died 1700, Maryland)
                          |
                  Nicholas Riley, Sr
                     (c1680-1745)
                          |
              -------------------------
              |                       |
           unknown            Nicholas Riley Jr
   m Matthew Richardson Sr      m Sarah Smith
              |                       |
      Matthew Richardson        William Riley
        m Ann Stockton        m Rachel Stockton

However, that's the simple conclusion. It may have no bearing on the facts. It remains possible that his mother was a Smith and a daughter of Nicholas Smith.

Matthew's cousin, William Riley, married his sister-in-law, Rachel Stockton. I found the following in the Riley-L archive on Rootsweb:

From: "kestuart"
Subject: Nicholas Riley record of 8 Aug 1786
Date: Sun, 1 Aug 1999 14:17:39 -0400

Record from a book: "Inhabitants of Kent County, MD 1637-1787 by Henry C. Peden, Jr. and the section of the book entitled "Indentured Orphans, 1778-1787" on page 99.

Quote: "Nicholas Riley, a minor under the age of 14 - John Bantham was appointed his guardian on August 8, 1786."
(Kent County, MD).

I believe this to be Nicholas Riley who later migrated to Knox County, Ohio and that he was the son of Rachel Stockton Riley and William Riley her first husband, a Revolutionary War Soldier. Rachel married second, John Bantham in Kent County, MD. John and Rachel migrated about the same time as Nicholas did and located in Bethlehem twp, Coshocton county, Ohio fairly close to Nicholas and his family.

It should be noted at this point that there was also a Matthew Richardson in Worcester County. The 1774 appraisal of the estate of William Richardson Jr names William and Matthew Richardson as next of kin. The executor was Samuel Richardson. Matthew also appears on the 1790 census for the same county.

Life in Ohio

There are numerous mentions of Matthew in A History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of Butler County Ohio.¹²³ The following is taken from Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio:⁸

Matthew Richardson was born in 1758 [sic] in the state of Maryland. In 1802 he came to Ohio and settled on the farm where he died. He was one of the first county commissioners of Butler county, and served three terms. Milford township was organized into a civil township in 1805, and in 1810 he was elected a justice of the peace, and continued to serve the people of that township for about twenty years. Mr. Richardson was a member of the Ohio state legislature two sessions as a representative from Butler county. He was a man of good sense and of business habits. The conveyancing and public writing of the township was principally transacted by him for many years. In all stations to which he was called by his fellow citizens, he served them faithfully and with great honesty and purpose. His friends were numerous, and he was of that mild, conciliatory disposition that he had few enemies. He lived beloved and respected and died at his residence in Milford township on Tuesday, January 2, 1838, at the advanced age of eighty years.

This paragraph is found on page 564 of the above-cited A History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of Butler County Ohio. It's of interest as it helps confirm Matthew's probable status as slave holder on the 1790 census.

Matthew Richardson, 1802, entered the land on which Collinsville now stands. Richardson was a Marylander, and came to this part of the county with a five-horse team, overland, bringing three colored people--two men and one woman. One of the men was afterward drowned while coming from Hamilton, in attempting to cross the stream near the old Matthew Hueston farm.

The following is taken from The Stockton Family of New Jersey and Other Stocktons.¹²⁴

   Mr. Richardson and six of these children were living in Butler County, Ohio, at the date of the following letter, written by him to Colonel T. B. W. Stockton, of Flint, Mich., and now in the possession of C.A. Stockton, of Findlay, Ohio.

                   Milford Tp., Butler Co. Ohio, Aug. 22d 1834
   My Dear Sir--I received your very agreeable communication of the 14th instant wherein you request me to answer the same. I therefore inform you that I am the person that married your father's, Charles W. Stockton's, sister Ann Stockton, and daughter of Richard Stockton who, previous to the Revolutionary War, resided at Princeton, N. J.; and that I am still in the land of the living, thank God for the same, but your dear aunt departed this life July 28, 1812. We had 10 children, only six of whom are now living, five daughters and one son.

   My son Matthew has a wife and five children living; he now lives on a farm with myself and my youngest daughter, Maria, who is now an old maid. All the rest of our children are and have been married. I can inform you that another of your father's sisters and a sister to my late wife, an older sister, Rachel Stockton, was married to a Mr. Wm. Riley, first cousin of mine, a considerable time previous to my marriage, was left a widow in 1782, and married a second time and moved to the State of Ohio sometime in 1803 or 1804. They are both no more. One of her daughters, named Sarah, went to St. John, Nova Scotia, with your uncle Richard Stockton and his sister Jane Stockton, and another of your Aunt Rachel's daughters, named Mary, younger than Sarah, is living not far from me, has a large family of fine children, all nearly grown up and are doing well.

   Although your dear Aunt is no more, I hope you will call and see me and some of my children who are now living near me. Although you are an entire stranger, nevertheless I shall be happy to see you and any of my dear wife's relatives and friends. When you come, come to Cincinnati, thence to Hamilton, thence 7 miles to my farm. If you should come to Hamilton at night, whether or not, enquire for a Mr. Kenworthy who married my third daughter Sarah, who has been twice married previous to Kenworthy, who will be glad to see you and will treat you well and likely come with you to my house, etc.

   You will please give me a more explicit detail of your relatives, etc., in your next communication. I shall conclude at this time and subscribe myself,     Your Affectionate Uncle,
                              Matthew Richardson.

Richard did not leave a will but I received the following abstract of a deed from Hazel M Stroup in April, 1987:

bk 6 pg 395 dated 1839

MATHEW RICHARDSON

heirs
Isaac Crume & wife, Betsy
Thomas Kenworthy & wife, Sarah
Robert Martin & wife, Rebecca
Mathew J Richardson & wife, Harriett Ann
Maria Richardson

sold property sec 23 twp range 2 south of land formerly owned by Jesse Simpson.

sold to David Beaty of Fayette co. Indiana

Isaac Crume was Betsy's second husband--the first marriage being to Isaac Simpson. One might imagine that Matthew sold the following land (also an abstract from Hazel Stroup) to in-laws.

bk B pg 41 dated 1808

Mathew Richardson also sold to James & Jessie Simpson
land in Sec 23 twp 5 range 2    665 5/16 Acres
also 136 1/4 acres
Milford twp, Collinsville

Matthew is buried in what is now known as the Richardson-Simpson Cemetery near Trenton, in Wayne twp, Butler co OH. Only three broken stones are known to remain:

Richard Richardson, d 8 Apr 1834. ae 16 yrs.
Matthew Richardson, b 8 Sep 1757, d 1 Jan 1838
Jessie Simpson, d 1 Aug 1831.

Census Readings

1800 > MARYLAND > WASHINGTON > MARSH & BARREN HUN
Series: M32 Roll: 12

page 169
Mathew Richardson 20210 31110
Jessee Simpson    01310 00100

page 170
John Richardson   00100 11001

1820 > OHIO > BUTLER > MILFORD
Series: M33 Roll: 87

page 130
Mathew Richardson     100001 00120 02000001
Mathew Richardson Jr  100100 00100 01

page 131
Jesse Simpson         200211 13111 13